The 2016 Best Websites for GRANDparents!

Even though websites for grandparents seem to be proliferating as fast as apps, each year we thrill and delight in choosing at least ten websites that we feel our readers and fellow grands will find informative, fascinating, insightful, resourceful, or just lots of fun. We focus on those we feel offer something unique, informative, empowering, and inspiring to our readers.

Please note that we’re not ranking the websites, as they’re all first-place winners in our book. This year’s winners (listed below, alphabetically) are officially receiving GRAND’s “Best GRAND Website” of the year award to post on their websites.
Congratulations winners!

“In 2010 www.askgranny.com was launched by Juliet Hambro, a grandmother living in Europe. Ask Granny is a unique website for grandparents and seniors, searching for information regarding all aspects of family life. According to Juliet Hambro, Ask Granny, “This site is about helping grandparents get the most out of the internet by doing all the research for them.”

All information on www.askgranny.com is divided into easy-to-use and accessible categories. The topics include tips on grandparenting, latest and safest toys and games, health and wellbeing, indoor and outdoor activities, family relationships, travel with kids, cooking with grandchildren, healthy recipes, entertainment ideas and many more interesting and useful topics.

AskGranny.com is always on the lookout for fun, interesting and educational new ideas for grandparents and grandchildren to share.

Every feature or review is objectively assessed. Grandparents can, therefore access the information they need with ease and, most importantly, find exactly what is useful for their grandchildren and themselves.

Juliet said: “Grandparents who are still working, about to retire, or have retired are in a unique position to give their grandchildren quality time and now play crucial roles in educating and spending time with the youngsters.

Maribeth, AKA, Mimi, Chief Boomer is the owner/author of BoomerGrandparents.com. In 2010 with the birth of her first granddaughter, she was inspired to start this blog. Now the proud grandmom of three, she challenges herself by taking the thoughts swirling in her head regarding the day-to-day challenges and joys of being not only a Baby Boomer, but a Boomer Grandparent in this digital age, and assembling them into some sort of story.

She has weathered the challenges of being a long distance grandparent pretty well. According to Maribeth, “I’ve learned that while grandparenting from a distance isn’t the best scenario, it doesn’t have to be terrible, and with a little creativity, it can be fun. Grandparenting in this digitized 21st century, however, could make you crazy.”

Donne founded the GaGa Sisterhood in 2003 after she witnessed the birth of her first grandchild and went completely “gaga.” Since then she has helped many grandmas navigate the sometimes, choppy waters of grandmotherhood with help from the wisdom of her GaGa sisters.

The mission of the GaGa Sisterhood is to share resources that foster understanding between the generations and inspire grandmas to continue growing along with their children and grandchildren. Its purpose is to help grandmas build mutual respect, trust, and empathy with the parents of their grandchildren so they can be part of a unified team raising the next generation.

When Donne isn’t writing, she loves engaging with her three granddaughters and connecting with grandmas from all over the country who inspire her with new ideas.

Grandma’s Briefs features bits on life’s second act: the good, bad, humorous and heartwarming of being a baby boomer, grandparent, parent of adult children, wife and writer. Blog founder Lisa Carpenter — a freelance writer specializing in topics related to grandparenting and the empty nest — strives to smash the outdated, unrealistic “grandma” stereotype by stressing the vitality and relevance of today’s grandmothers. The wide variety of articles on Grandma’s Briefs resonates with grandparents, empty nesters and anyone interested in the baby boomer lifestyle thanks to the wide range of articles, which include quips and commentaries; profiles of grandmothers; travel pieces; how-tos; movie, book, auto, and product reviews; recipes and more.

Lisa and her husband of 34 years live in Colorado and have three adult daughters. They are “Gramma” and “PawDad” to three grandsons, children of the middle daughter and her husband. They also have a stepgrandson who belongs to their oldest daughter and her husband.

Grands Matter is a website and brand of the National Association for Grandparenting which is pioneering an initiative to raise awareness, provide resources and create a movement in which grandparents and grandchildren thrive.

The website is easy to navigate and chock full of interesting and informative articles. You can join for $24 per year and receive membership benefits. At the National Association for Grandparenting, they seek to empower grandparents as they bond with future generations in meaningful ways and leave a lasting positive legacy. They are a clearinghouse of information, bringing top-notch resources and insights to grandparents. They provide services for families in business together and they are helping to lead an international effort to bring attention to the role of grandparenting

Grandparentslink.com gives you VIP access (‘cause yes, you are very important) to all that is grand for grandparents, parents, families and your individual self. We are hip, we are current, and we keep our readers in the know, offering features on relationships, health, nutrition, tested recipes, personal well-being…plus the latest products, gift ideas, books, arts & crafts, and mindfulness.

Who are the founders Leslie and Kay? We are friends, we are moms, and we are business associates for over 15 years. And, we are also grandmas who love being ‘grand’parents, all while we are busy with our own lives working, writing and living. These factors all contribute to presenting a site where you discover a comfortable platform of resources and appealing articles that keep you a part of an ever-evolving community. All of this happens right here on Grandparentslink.com.

Susan Adcox, Grandparenting Expert for About.com is committed to creating a website that is responsive to the needs of all grandparents and boy does it show! Whether you are raising your grandchildren, seeking to restore contact with them, or simply wanting to have fun with the grandkids, you’ll find something helpful at GrandparentsonAbout.com. According to Susan, “I sincerely believe that with the exception of parenting, being a grandparent may be the most important job that many of us will ever have, and I love helping grandparents do it well. I continually research and update my articles so that my readers will find them a reliable source of information, and I’m always seeking new topics to write about.” Susan is interested in health and wellness and is passionate about nature and the outdoors. She considers herself a bit of a nerd; she likes reading, writing and researching. Most importantly, she believes in families. We agree with Susan, they can be messy and labor-intensive, but nothing compares to the love and support provided by extended family.

Let me introduce myself. I am Honey Good; wife, mother, daughter, grandmother to 24 who call me Honey, girlfriend to many, writer and owner of HoneyGood.com, a site for stylish women over fifty.

What is honey Good style? It is a woman’s inner beauty.

My life mirrors yours; a mixture of the bitter and the sweet; the joys and the sorrows. As I express to my followers: “We have earned our PHd in life.

At HoneyGood.com you can read my ‘personal’ stories on blended families, widowhood, suicide, remarriage, cancer, why you should own that little black dress, tips on buying that properly fitted shoe, travel and how to survive everything from losing your car keys in the onion bin to packing for that fabulous trip!

I am a weekly writer for the Huffington Post, the SuntimesNetwork reaching 70 cities across America and a Grandparent network member. My followers on FaceBook reach into the tens of thousands.

www.Invisible Grandparenting provides tools for anyone unable to participate fully in the lives of their children’s children and helps them revisit and rise above situations they may have kept shrouded in mystery and shame for months, years or even decades.

Steps for creating your own process to letter writing as a healing tool, as well as national Resources for aiding estranged or alienating grandparents are highlighted. .

Topics pass on the authors values & perspectives on everything: from family matters, to entertainment, politics and peace, and even sex love & marriage, and aging, death & dying.

The site is intelligent, thorough and moving … especially reading the letters to Annie now14, the grandchild she hasn’t seen since she was four.

NanaHood is the second half of the motherhood journey-and what a fun journey it is! NanaHood is owned and operated by Teresa Bell Kindred, who is also the publisher of several books and a frequent contributor to The Huffington Post. “NanaHood is a lifestyle blog that celebrates grandchildren and a grandparent lifestyle. Topics we cover include health, technology, fashion, travel, recipes, and children’s books.”

A four time recipient of the Best GRANDparent Site/Blog Award NanaHood’s social media presence continues to increase on Facebook (TheNanaHood), @NanaHoodRocks on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. NanaHood often reviews products that appeal to grandparents and grandchildren.

NanaHood is open to guest columnists and I love to hear from our readers.

If you are a grandparent and you have a story to tell feel free to reach out to me. Teresa says, “Grandparents are natural story tellers and each story is valuable and important. Share your stories with me and I’ll will share them with other grandparents.”

Being a grandparent is an honor, being an involved and loving grandparent can change lives. At NanaHood we are proud of what grandparents are doing and we want you to be proud too! You do make a difference!

There is much information on this website for grandparents raising grandchildren or other relatives parenting someone else’s child.

You will find personal comments and stories from grandparents themselves from various states and Canada. As you browse through the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren website, you will read stories and comments from other grandparents raising grandchildren. Some grandparents are raising the children informally with no legal protection, while others have legally adopted their grandchildren.

You will also find information and Internet links to helpful information about parenting, child development, financial assistance that may be available to grandparents and relatives parenting children, information on legal issues, and mental health disorders in children.

You will also find information about dealing with stress, healthy living and wellness.

whathappensatgrandmas.com

The creative inspiration behind this website, former art educator, Joyce Gillis think of her blog as a resource of tested ideas that bring families together for the purpose of giving children a solid sense of belonging and security. She proposes that this task is best accomplished when grandma, the family matriarch, makes her home an irresistible magnet – a welcoming haven of comfort, safety, love, affirmation, spontaneous originality, and infectious joy for the entire extended family. At this site, one far removed from the critical and impersonal world, Joyce presents grandchildren who are celebrated, doted upon, and launched into life with a strong sense of well-being built from an imaginative diet of playfully practiced problem solving skills. Joyce hopes that the family fun showcased on

WhatHappensAtGrandmas.com will inspire others to dig for dino eggs, hunt for monsters, host a spelling bee, construct a puppet stage, sell lemonade for charity, set up a backyard carnival, hang a clothesline art show, open a family library, or sponsor an annual Grandma Camp!